A matter of choice
by Lotor Sincline
Summary: What if Lotor was born amidst the human world and never knew he was the son of Zarkon until later on his life?  Would he choose to live as the Prince of Doom or live the only life he has always known? Alternate Universe
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Voltron and GoLion characters belong to WEP and Toei Animation. This story is written for entertainment purposes only.

_This story started as a reflection. Life has a lot of paths, and we choose the path we are going to take. But if our circumstances are different, will we always commit the same mistakes? This story has deep roots on the GoLion series and has some Vehicle Voltron mentions. _

The group of slaves moved hurriedly through the dark tunnels trying to reach for the docking pier where many ships arrived and departed at all hours. Many slaves were helping the others escape; while others were on the lookout for possible guards pursuing them. But they had been lucky to reach as far as the ship hangars. Arianna had been one of those slaves. She had endured months of cruel treatment in King Zarkon's court; mostly because her beauty had been a curse. Being extremely beautiful had caught the king's eye so he had taken her to his harem to join other slaves obliged to satify his unending lust. But somehow, Arianna was different. She did not envision herself dying in such an inhospitable place. She would not continue being one of King Zarkon's pretty little sex toys. She would escape or at least die trying.

He was most infatuated with her because she was not like the others. She wouldn't scream or cry when he possessed her body. She would defy his lustful gaze by ignoring his caresses. That made the arrogant king insistent on his courtship of her. But she was a smart girl, observing everything, plotting in her mind a perfect plan to escape to her freedom. So the moment she found out about a possible break, she took the chance and never looked back.

Hours after the breakout, royal guards and soldiers were running everywhere searching for the escapees. The slaves were already taking hold of a ship and departing the dark planet for a route to anywhere far away from planet Doom. It hadn't been easy, but the voyage to freedom would make it worth the risk.

Arianna looked through one of the ship's belvederes at the black open space and tried to envision a new future for her; trying to obliviate the recent terrible events that had marked her young life. She dedicated her time to serve the other slaves so her mind could keep busy. But during the times when she would slumber on her uncomfortable bed, she would still tremble fearing that she would wake up inside that hellish harem waiting for the king's nightly visits.

Soon the voyage would be over, when the ship docked in another planet that helped them take refuge until they could all travel to one of the Alliance's planets. When she was asked to which planet she would want to go; she chose Earth. That was what she considered the farthest away from King Zarkon as she could go. During this voyage, she had made a discovery that would change her life altogether. She was with child. She had been given the choice to terminate her pregnancy knowing that the life within her was a spawn of that demon king. But she didn't have the heart to kill an innocent being that had no fault of who it's father was. She considered giving the child in adoption as soon as she would deliver it.

When she arrived on Earth, she had been given all the help she could get. She soon met a handsome young officer named Grant Sincline who helped her get accustomed to earthlings rituals and customs. Soon she found herself being part of an accepting society that was more than willing to help her rebuild her life again.

Grant had been a great support for Arianna; it was no surprise when he proposed to her while she was about to give birth. At first, she was reluctant to tell him the truth about the child's father, but his constant love and attention made her break the barriers that she had constructed around her broken heart. He even convinced her not to give the child for adoption; and that he would raise the child like his own. After a great deal of tears and uncertainties she finally accepted his proposal.

Soon she gave birth to a boy. She cried intensely when she saw that the boy had more human features than drule ones. Just the coloring of his skin, his pointy ears and his eyes were the only hereditary trait of the demon king. Besides that he resembled Arianna. Grant was supportive through all of Arianna's dilemma; and even if the child was obviously drule descendant, he would keep his word to the woman he loved and love her child like his own. Grant even suggested the name that she chose to give her son: Lotor.

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

_To the reviewers: Misty, Renkon Nairu, Wade Wells...thank you very much for your comments. I really appreciate them. If there are other readers, I thank you for reading too. This is a very difficult story for me to write, so if you can give me suggestions for the plot I would really like to hear them..._

**_Voltron and GoLion characters including my name belong to WEP and Toei Animation._**

**_Chapter 2_**

Grant and Arianna had a simple but beautiful wedding. They had no choice but to live in Garrison's bases, because Arianna didn't want to be far away from Grant who had to move constantly in order to comply with his military duties as he was stationed in different countries around the planet and sometimes off. It was better that way, because they could have a somewhat normal family life and Grant was very overprotective with Arianna and Lotor.

Arianna would often observe on her son, the ill temper of a drule whenever he wanted something. She had to be strong sometimes with Lotor because he had quite the tantrums that were sometimes overwhelming for her. There she could observe the hereditary traits of the demon king. But Grant would inspire Lotor the discipline and respect that he often needed. Even though Grant would observe in Lotor a very uncommon character for a child, because of his love for Arianna, he took care of Lotor and tried to educate him like a normal human child as much as possible. But the differences in Lotor were undeniable.

After three years had passed Arianna had another child, a girl whom she named Iris. When the baby girl was brought home for the first time, Lotor couldn't help but be overprotective of his little sister. But also it was the first time that he had felt a little jealous over the attention that was given to Iris. He also made a comment about the child's pale coloring in contrast of the blue/gray skin that covered him. Grant and Arianna would change the subject so that Lotor's fixation with his different color would not become an obsessive theme that would make him feel like an outcast inside his own family.

Lotor's growth had been the normal one for a drule boy. Even though he was three years old he seemed like a six year old in height. In the Garrison base where Grant had been stationed, there were interracial couples that had half-breed children with whom Lotor could relate to. The couples often would stare at Grant and Arianna because they were both human and Lotor obviously was not. They wouldn't dare ask, but Grant was always smart regarding the matter with a polite comment that would make people understand that it was no one else's business.

Lotor grew affectionate and respectful towards his human father, but the time came when he asked the question that Grant and Arianna feared most. Why was he physically different than both his parents? Grant and Arianna had hoped that Lotor would overlook this mishap but they did also prepare to answer that question. They just told Lotor that Grant was his adoptive father and that he loved him very much. That his real father had died a long time ago before he was born. That answer made him sad for a while but soon he was comforted by the love and tending care that his human parents and sister were giving him.

All that nurturing, made him grow into a fine young adolescent with a bad temper. His first years of school were quite challenging for him. There were very little half breeds and not necessarily drule ones. So he was often an outcast while in company of his peers. It wasn't an alien experience for his parents to be called to the principal's office because of Lotor's behavior problems. He was often accused of bullying and intimidating his schoolmates. It was all part of Lotor's survival reaction to all the hostility discharged at him, just because he was physically different. Arianna was very worried about this, often crying herself to sleep just lamenting the bad blood that went through her son's veins. Grant was a great support for her during this time, like he'd always been. But still they had to solve their son's lack of connection to his environment.

After a couple of years in school, his other schoolmates wouldn't dare to mess with him. He was awfully bigger in size and often smarter too; but not in a good way. Lotor had created quite a reputation of trouble maker. But he was often categorized by the school's faculty as a hyperactive student with a very high IQ who would just get bored with the simple tasks that he was expected to dominate. The teacher's were always giving him advanced themes and subjects because he would excel in everything that he was assigned. But he still got bored and looked for ways of getting in mischief, so his parents decided to look for an exclusive school that would make him feel more comfortable and give him more discipline. Normal human schools were not enough for Lotor. He was too hyperactive and was always learning. Grant enrolled him in an exclusive school for interracial drule children. There were mostly drules and drule half-breeds students in this school. Classes were not so big in size so the learning could develop in a more intimate atmosphere. It was good for Lotor. He got to have friends with other half-breeds like him.

But soon he felt curious about his drule heritage. The constant comparison of his schoolmates made him feel uneasy. So his father, much to his mother's dismay encouraged him to learn about the drules lifestyle and customs.

In that school is where he met Korzak, who would soon be like a mentor to Lotor. Korzak was an old drule that saw Lotor's potential to be a great leader someday. He saw that the adolescent had charisma and presence that could influence his other schoolmates into following him and obeying his orders. He decided to take Lotor under his wing and teach him how to be drule, to fight like a drule, to believe like a drule and to know everything he had to know to survive in the drule world. Lotor's mind was like a sponge absorbing all the knowledge and wisdom that Korzak taught him.

The most important lessons that Lotor learned from Korzak were the fighting skills. Grant had noticed changes in Lotor's attitude towards everything in his house. He seemed more silent, refrained and even tidier that he had always been. So he approved of Lotor's spending time with his mentor Korzak beside regular classes. As a responsible parent, he even invited Korzak to his home...so he could know who was Lotor's latest influence.

Arianna and him made sure that Korzak spent time with them in some big festivities like holidays and dinners. It made Lotor more compliant and gave Lotor the assurance that his parents loved him and cared about his heritage. Soon the rebellious adolescence would outgrow his immaturity and learn to embrace his dual race. His family and friends helped him achieve that.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: Voltron and GoLion characters including my name belong to WEP and Toei Animation. All other name characters like Grant and Arianna are added by me.**_

_This is the last introductory chapter, I promise…_

Chapter 3

Soon the time had come where Lotor would have to decide what path he would choose in the human world. His parents had mostly decided that his best chances would be in the military life where he could secure a future financially. In Earth, military services guaranteed a place in society and it was rare that a young man would not choose that path to secure his chances to make it into the galaxy. So he did follow the path of his adoptive father, who was proud of Lotor's decision. Still, after some time had passed, Lotor felt a little uneasy mostly because of the racist comments that he had encountered during his first years in the military. It was all because of the human's war against the drules...most soldier peers didn't feel comfortable to have a drule half breed among them. Lotor would use all the previous lesson's that he had been taught during his development years at his drule school. Even though he felt sometimes that those lessons would not be useful to him, soon he realized that those kinds of thoughts were all but misleading.

He still had contact with his old mentor Kortak who had been an drule priest in his younger days. Kortak had to flee from Planet Drule to Earth when he was accused of conspiracy and treason against the reigning government. Kortak was an expert swordsman and had excellent fighting techniques that had fascinated Lotor since the first time Kortak had showed them to him. That was mostly one of the reasons why Lotor had kept in contact with Kortak. The old drule had taught him well how to meditate, canalize, handle a sword and discipline his body with hard work and pain. But also he had taught him how to effectively kill a of the most important lessons that he passed on to Lotor was the handling of a drule sword. Lotor hand made and adopted his own sword naming it "Fury". Kortak had taught him to let the sword absorb all of his ire and bad temper and canalize it through his weapon. That way he could learn to handle his inner demon. And he could also learn to kill in an honorable way. It was part of the drule's vision of honor and justice. A good kill for an honorable cause was the religion that Kortak had professed all his life and all that knowledge he had passed on to Lotor.

As drules age differently than humans, years went by when his family was aging and Lotor was still very much young. Even his younger sister looked older than him. That was a very difficult time for Lotor, because that made him more conscious of the difference between his human relatives and himself. It wasn't easy to lose the people with whom he had grown up with, while he kept meeting different generations of his family. It was like having pets, that were born, lived and died in just a part of his lifetime. He had tried to establish romantic relationships with human girls, but the fear of losing them to old age and death had restrained him in engaging in such painful relations. So he just engaged himself in frivolous relationships that wouldn't last long and he was not too attached to half-breed girls either. The fear of pain and loss had touched him too deeply specially when his parents and sister died of old age and sickness. He often thought that maybe if he would've been raised in the drule world, he would've been spared of such painful experiences.

Hence Lotor concentrated in his military career, where he traveled a lot, served in many wars and gained recognition as a general for he had served almost sixty human years in the Alliance. And he still resembled a 24 year old drule. It was during those wars that he had practiced his skills at killing. It was not hard to kill when he was in a battleship, but a man to man fight; that was another story. He did enjoy the engaging in those fights and the shredding of blood. But he constantly fought to not let anger dominate him. Battles were hard for him to win because of it; not because of his skills.

Only those who were drules or half-breeds that hadn't been killed in the different battles that Garrison had engaged were the only ones of his lifetime to still know him. His defensive skills and general knowledge of the drule's customs and technology had made him a respectable figure among the humans but still his bad temper would be the ghost that would always haunt him. He had also served successfully as an alliance spy for many years and his skills had helped train other half-breeds into engaging those extremely dangerous activities. But soon the training of half-breeds got him tired, he had lost too many young people in the engaging arms of war. That damn sense of loss and pain had overpowered him again.

It was of no surprise to him that soon he would be drafted for a special mission to the distant Denubian Galaxy. He had knowledge that five space explorers had been deployed to planet Arus two years ago to find the legendary robot Voltron. There was a battle engaged in that area between Arus and a space pirate called Zarkon. This old drule was supposed to be a conqueror and an enslaver of many innocent people around that galaxy. The reigning princess of planet Arus had requested more help from Garrison to keep fighting the drule forces that were gaining strenght against the arusian defenders.

The Alliance had chosen General Sincline because of his previous experience helping vehicle Voltron in many missions against the Drule Empire. It just seemed fitting that his experience and knowledge of drule technologies and customs would be a great asset for the arusian army. He accepted to be deployed to Arus; maybe a different galaxy would help him allieviate some of his old hurtful memories.

To be continued

_I don't want to be unthankful for the reviews made to this story. Anonymous (your concerns are dully noted_), _Wade Wells (thanks for your comments, I hope you keep liking the story)_

_This story is not intended to be too long. I don't think I would do good writing longer than 10 chapters, but if it takes that long to develop, I hope to count with your suggestions to make this story better…_

_Love, _

_Your royal pain LS :P_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for the kind reviews and comments that you have given this story. This next chapter was written a long time ago but I yet had to publish it here. This will be the last update of this story in 2010. Chapter 5 will be posted in 2011 hopefully very soon. My wishes for a safe Christmas and a blessed New Year 2011._

In Planet Arus there was the preparation of a welcoming celebration in Castle of Lions. The Galaxy Alliance had responded Princess Allura's petition to send more help to fight the constant threat of Planet Doom upon arusian soil. The battles hadn't been easy lately and the Voltron Force needed all the help they could get. Space Marshall Graham had been reporting to Coran the exact time of the arrival of the Alliance space cruiser transporting the officials to planet Voltron Force was in a meeting with Coran in Castle Control.

The environment inside the castle was of high hopes and positive energy. Captain Keith Kogane approached Coran and asked:

"Well Coran, did Graham tell you who are they sending to help us?"

Without lifting his gaze from the floor in a pensive gesture, Coran answered:

"Space Marshall Graham informed me that they will be arriving this afternoon at 13:43 hours with a General called Sincline. He is supposedly an expert in drule intelligence and technology. But that was all the information he could share."

"Well, I sure hope that this general can help us…you said 13:43? That's just less than two hours from now," Keith answered.

"Yes, it is…the princess and I will be leading the welcoming committee which of course, all of you will be a part of.." added Coran.

"Oh you can count on us to give assistance in anything you need…specially for the princess." said Hunk.

"Thank you Hunk" the princess smiled at Hunk who had always been an admirer of Allura's beauty and personality.

In fact, all of the Voltron Force admired Allura's beauty, only a fool wouldn't do so. She was a charming and sweet girl that was always polite and kind to all of them. It was only natural for any male to feel attracted by her.

"The welcoming ball for the general's arrival is all coordinated for tonight" said Allura.

"I wonder how this general got to be so knowledgeable in drule technology.." added Pidge.

"If Space Marshal Graham didn't share much information of this general, he must have good reasons to do so," answered Sven.

"Yeah, maybe the guy was a spy or something…" said Lance shrugging. "It has happened before…"

"Then what kind of spy he could've been…a slave spy?" asked Pidge.

"Come on guys, let's stop the speculations…we'll know this afternoon when we meet this new general…Sincline or whatever his name is.." finally said Keith.

###

Lotor had been updating his knowledge about a lot of information while he was traveling to Arus. The journey had been very educational. He studied about Arus' history, geography and the latest battles against Doom. He still hadn't deepen his knowledge about Doom because he planned to use the latest information gathered by Castle of Lions. The castle's data would be more updated than the Alliance's database.

Space Marshall Graham was very useful during the journey, he had handled Lotor the files of each Voltron pilot and all of the classified information about Arus's latest missions. Lotor memorized everything he could about his newly appointed assignment. But still, he felt some uneasiness about going to a completely new environment and meeting a new culture where people didn't trust drules like him, not even half-breeds. Graham had warned Lotor about Arus' lack of drules among the people. Arus' population was almost 98.7% human in the last census recorded less than two years ago when the first galaxy alliance ships arrived after the Voltron force reactivated the giant robot. Lotor would have to face possibly a lot of resistance from the arusians and would have to gain their trust and respect.

Less than two hours went by really fast and soon the Voltron Force were at the arrival hangar expecting the Alliance cruiser to open it's doors. When the doors were opened, some cadets came out first saluting at Space Marshall Graham who came out first. The Voltron Force saluted him respectfully.

But their respect turned to awe when they saw a tall half-drule with white hair, blue-gray skin and pointy ears coming out just after the Space Marshall. The impressive drule was dressed in a general's uniform, with a sword attached to his belt. His lean and tall figure stood out amidst all of the human present. But what most impressed them were the singularity of the drule's golden cat-like eyes that seemed to study everything and everyone on sight. Princess Allura was equally impressed just like all of her Voltron friends and the rest of the castle staff that was allowed to be present. Coran was the first one to talk and greet the Space Marshall Graham and his drule companion.

"Welcome to Arus, Marshall Graham" Coran said and immediately turned to look at the general, expecting Graham's introduction.

"Thank you, prime minister Coran. May I introduce you to General Lotor Sincline from the 75th Infantry Alliance Batallion."

General Sincline lowered his head in respect to the prime minister Coran.

"Welcome to Arus, General Sincline." then Coran turned to Allura and said, "this is our royal highness Princess Allura of Arus"

The princess was dressed in a beautiful pink gown and had her hair down, giving her a lovely look which accentuated her fairness and her beautiful big blue eyes. She courteously offered her hand to both the Space Marshall and the newcomer general.

Sincline was very impressed with her beauty but wisely kept his grimace emotionless and polite. He had traveled to many galaxies during his long life and he could've sworn right then and there, that he had never seen such a beautiful girl ever in his life or in any other planet.

The next introductions were made towards the Voltron Force. Space Marshall introduced each one of the pilots to the general who was impressed on how young they all were, specially because they had such a big responsibility of protecting a planet from alien invaders with just one robot that got divided in five lions. He couldn't help but make mental comparisons with the Vehicle Voltron which he had seen first even if the lion Voltron was the first to be the Voltron Force.

Keith respectfully greeted the newcomer general, he had no reason why to not like his new superior even if he was obviously a drule. Keith had shared moments with other half drules while he was at the Alliance academy. And he had worked well with them. The other Voltron pilots were more curious about their new general, but wisely didn't make any comments or expressions that could denounce any disappointment or excitement of this new arrival.

Princess Allura seemed happy to count with a new resource for the fight against the drule invaders from Planet Doom. Her hopes were high that with knowledge of drule strategies and intelligence their defense would improve. Before Voltron came into action, the arusian armies were almost nonexistent, but because of the resurge of the giant robot, the people of Arus had been getting animated about defending their home planet.

Voltron had been defending Arus against the robeasts that were sent by Doom. But Castle of Lions's concern was not only that. The doomite armies had gathered new forces changing their strategies into a more structured attack. The latest battles against the doomite aliens had been difficult to win because their strategies had become more complicated. Arus' defenses had been relying only on Voltron' battles on robeasts. But there had been attacks to the villages where doomite soldiers had been kidnapping people to make them slaves. The arusian armies needed training to defend the villages and places where the people could live more in peace.

The arusian cities were being reconstructed and the young men and women were being recruited by the Castle of Lions to join the recent established arusian armed forces along with new guards and soldiers. The Voltron Force was not enough for all the work that involved and the old guarding system of the planet was outdated and needed renewing. That was why Princess Allura had recurred to the Galaxy Alliance and that was why General Sincline was chosen to join the arusian armies.

General Sincline's job was to ensure that these new armed forces were organized and well established to complement the Voltron Force's defense system. Lotor had a vast knowledge in the organization of armed forces, but it would be his first experience establishing one that had been almost annihilated by continuous wars. He looked at it as a very educational experience and a chance to do something different from all he had done previously.

The welcoming party leaded the new arrivals from the hangars to the castle were the rest of the staff awaited excitedly for the alliance officers that would help them keep fighting the alien intruders. So it was with great astonishment their reaction when they first realized that a drule would be among them. They would look at each other, and whisper among themselves wondering if they could trust that a drule, even one that boasted an alliance rank. They wondered if a drule could ever work among them and lead them to victory against his own kind, Sincline could hear their whispers, and it was all expected by him. They seemed to ignore that drule's hearing is more acute than human's hearing. He observed their many different grimaces: awe, disappointment, distrust, relief, curiosity…nothing escaped his analyzing sight. And then and there, he knew that this journey that he had made would be maybe the most challenging mission of all of his life…

-To be continued-


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Thanks to those who have read this story and left a review. But I specially want to acknowledge Wade Wells for giving me such useful insights. It really helped me unclog the block I had with this story. I did have to rewrite the whole chapter, but once I did, it flowed freely. Enjoy!_

The great ball room was prepared for the welcoming committee. There were tables filled with a wide variety of arusian delicacies. Many of the guests arrived early from different parts of the arusian kingdom. Soon the hall was filled with a lot of people engaged in animated conversations about the new arrival. After the music had begun, many of the guests were starting to fill the dance floor and move elegantly to the rhythm of the music. Among them were Princess Allura and Coran. The princess was enjoying the company of her caretaker and fatherly figure. Some of the Voltron pilots were lurking around the tables eating and commenting among themselves.

Lance made gestures to Hunk when he saw the princess dancing for the second time with Coran.

"Hunk, aren't you gonna ask the princess to dance?"

"What? Me? Well…I don't know." Hunk seemed undecided.

"Oh come on big guy. Don't tell me that you're scared of dancing with her?" Lance teased.

"No, it's not that" Hunk cleared. "I'm waiting until she gets tired of dancing with Coran. Besides, she seems to be willing to dance only with him."

"Liar, you don't want to admit that you don't know how to dance." Lance accused. "If it was true, you could just cut off while they're dancing."

"Just leave me alone, Lance. Go find a maid and hit on her instead of bugging me." Hunk was annoyed.

Lance chuckled. "Yeah, why not? Or maybe I should go and ask the princess to dance with me instead."

"You wouldn't." Hunk grimaced.

"Why not?" Lance winked.

"Bah! Whatever…" Hunk feigned not being interested in Lance's suggestion about dancing with the princess. He thought: "Would he dare to cut in between Coran and Allura?"

"What are you two doing?" Pidge interrupted while holding a glass of punch in his hand.

"Oh nothing…yet" Lance shrugged. "It's just that Hunk doesn't know how to dance and he doesn't want to admit it."

"You prick." Hunk's voice was menacingly low.

"Oh come on guys." Pidge was concerned. "Don't start fighting" Then he looked at Hunk and said: "I know Lance doesn't mean that, big guy."

"I won't let him get to me," Hunk shrugged while looking at Pidge. But gazed at Lance briefly before adding: "I'll ask the princess to dance with me whenever I feel prepared."

"That's the spirit big guy!" Pidge cheered.

"Talking about big guys," Lance looked at Pidge. "What do you think about that new general?"

"Hmmm... intriguing," Pidge answered. "He must've been a spy for the alliance. I would really like to know more about his background. It must be very interesting."

"Well, we'll get our chance of knowing him well. He's here to stay for awhile, at least." Lance added. "But what I mean is…how is he gonna survive here? Haven't you noticed how some people look at him?"

"I have," Hunk answered. "And I don't think it's gonna be easy for him."

"No it won't." Pidge said. "You should've seen Nanny's face. She doesn't like drules too much."

"She doesn't like ANYBODY too much" Lance added. "I wouldn't care that much about what she thinks. She doesn't work for him… we do. Nanny works for the princess."

"I know," Pidge said.

"But I understand what you mean Lance. Not everyone will trust our new general. I don't think that's fair. I mean, it's not his fault that he's a drule. Isn't it?" Hunk commented.

"You're right Hunk. It wouldn't be nice to judge him for his race. If he's an alliance general, it must be because he has fought against his own people." Pidge added.

"Well, we still have to know him well," Lance said. "Nobody's perfect".

"What do you mean by that?" Pidge was wondering.

"Nothing wrong little buddy. Just that we have to get to know him well and how he works," Lance cleared.

"Hmmm…you're right." Pidge answered. "I guess we will get to know him and work with him from now on".

"Yep, it's unavoidable." Lance shrugged. "So Hunk…about the princess. When are you asking her to dance?"

Hunk grimaced at Lance, turned his back and sighed; then he approached a nearby table to go get a glass of punch, completely ignoring Lance's question.

Lance looked at Pidge and asked gesturing: "Was it something I said?"

When Keith entered the ball room, his dark eyes scanned the place to see who were already present. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful Allura looked. She seemed so happy dancing with Coran. That's the only way he wanted to see her: happy and peaceful. He would do anything he could to keep her feeling that way. From the distance she noticed him looking at her. She smiled waving her hand at him so he waved back but immediately felt ashamed of being caught watching her. He would have to dissimulate better next time...

Then he noticed Space Marshall Graham greeting some guests. So he decided to go to him. He wanted to know how much time he was staying in Arus.

"Marshall Graham sir" Keith greeted when he reached him.

"Captain," Graham answered. "This party is very nice."

"Yes it is." Keith agreed. "The people of Arus are quite hospitable. You might want to get to know them better. For how long are you staying sir?"

"Oh, I'm leaving tomorrow first thing in the morning. Weather forecasts are favorable for leaving the atmosphere in the early hours. We have to catch that. You say that the people of Arus are hospitable now… Do you think our general will be welcome among them?" the Marshall wondered.

"I can't say for sure, but when they start seeing the purpose of his assignment, they will ease up. I'm sure of it." Keith stated. Keith had worked with drule half breeds before and he knew that if General Sincline had reached such a high rank among the alliance; it must've been because he had fought hard to accomplish that. He knew that being a general in the Alliance was only achieved after a long life of service, 30 years minimum, plus having an excellent record in the military.

"And talking about the general, have you seen him arrive?" the Marshall asked.

"I just arrived to the party, but I haven't seen him", Keith answered.

"Oh, he's probably lost in the castle," the Marshall was concerned. "Did you or Coran give him a map of the castle?"

"I don't know about Coran, but I haven't given him anything. But don't worry, I will seek him out and escort him here if necessary," Keith suggested.

"Please do. Thank you Keith." the Marshall answered.

"You're welcome," Keith said before leaving the ball room in direction of the dorm's floor.

Lotor finished unpacking most of his things. He liked his room, it was very accommodating. Much better than he had expected. There was a small window with a view to a nearby forest, he felt luckier than when he was a young soldier and had to stay in barracks. That was a long time ago, but he could still remember. His journey to be a general wasn't an easy one. More than 60 years of service... being a drule really sucked sometimes. For humans it was 30 years, but for drules the alliance increased it to 45 years because of their lifespan. The alliance still had much to learn. But anyway, he needed to get away from those guys for a while. And Arus was just as far away as he could go.

He didn't have too much things of his own; learning during his long life not to get attached to material things. Another suggested lesson from his mentor Korzak. He brought his clothes, photos and personal computer. He had what he needed and needed what he had. That was enough for him. He still considered himself a low rank soldier and a wanderer. Life was so fleeting...

He was accommodating the photo of his family beside his bed. The old photo was taken decades ago when he was initially starting his military career. His parents and sister were still young and strong. A blue tall young soldier among peach colored humans. They were all smiling at the picture, reflecting the happier times when he still had a close family. Now they were all gone. But they still existed in his mind and heart. A knock on the door brought him back to the present time.

He went to open it and found the young captain of the Voltron Force saluting him respectfully.

"At ease Captain Kogane," Lotor said. "Is it time to go already?"

"Yes sir. I came to escort you to the ball room, sir." Keith answered.

"Sure, I was almost ready. It's good that you came though. I'm still not familiar with this castle," Lotor answered.

"Marshall Graham supposed you wouldn't sir," Keith answered while Lotor closed the door of his room. "I volunteered to escort you."

"Good. We can go now. I can finish accommodating my few stuff when I come back," Lotor added.

Keith nodded while signaling Lotor the way through the castle's corridor.

"This place is absolutely amazing, captain," Lotor commented. "I bet you like being assigned to Arus."

"Well the place is comfortable, but the work is…should I say, challenging," Keith wanted to be cautious of his expressions before the general. He didn't want to insult the drules directly and make Lotor feel uncomfortable. It was kind of awkward but Lotor was his superior, after all.

"It must be… war is never easy; on either side," Lotor seemed pensive. "I've been researching about Arus but I still have to learn a little bit more. I hope you guys will help me accomplish that." Lotor said with an informal tone.

Keith was a little puzzled when he heard Lotor talk that way, but still he answered: "We will help you in anything we can, sir."

"Great. I guess this will be the beginning of a fructiferous relationship. What do you think captain?"

Keith looked up at the general with a puzzling gaze just to find Lotor smiling back at him. He thought that the general made that informal comment, in an apparent attempt to inspire warmth and comradeship. Hence Keith felt intrigued by him. What kind of person might this general be? He was a drule allegedly raised by humans; maybe partly human too. So Keith smiled back at him and answered:

"I really hope that too, sir"

Both officers arrived at the ball. Lotor was greeted by the Marshall and Coran upon entering the great ballroom. A little bit later, Princess Allura called for the attention of all the guests and presented officially the newcomer to all the gathering.

Lotor still noticed the mixed reactions to his presence. But through all the whispers and comments, he kept his head high. He was there to accomplish a mission and nothing would deviate him from his purpose.

During the evening he briefly shared with each of his subalterns, whom he found very lively and intelligent. He could perceive Capt. Kogane as a serious but responsible leader. Lt. Holgersson seemed to be as serious and disciplined as the captain. Lt. McClain reflected the characteristics of being an impulsive young man but smart nevertheless. Lt. Garett was undoubtedly the strongest of them all, an asset very useful in battle. But he was impressed by Lt. Stoker's brilliance. The youngest of them all had the characteristics of a genius, making questions and statements that really amazed Lotor.

Henceforth his perception of the Voltron Force completely changed that night. He felt sure that his mission on Arus had a good start. Only time would tell if his mission would end the same way…

* * *

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry for the delay on posting this chapter. It was written a long time ago along with other future chapters but what I find difficult to do it the typing and the editing. To those of you who have reviewed the previous chapters, I am most grateful to you all. Without further a due enjoy this next installment..._

Chapter 6

Commander Yurak entered King Zarkon's throne room. He felt a little apprehensive about why was he being summoned by the king. He knew he hadn't been performing well his duties in front of the kingdom's armies. The succession of failures against Voltron were rather disappointing for his previous outstanding military career and performance record. But he kept as calm as he could under the circumstances. When he was in front of the throne, he respectfully bowed on front of his king.

"Yurak, I summoned you because Haggar has informed me that there have been movements on Arus. Do you know something about that?"

Yurak felt a little bit of relief before answering: "Yes, Sire. Our spies have informed us that Arus has asked for help from Galaxy Garrison. And the ships that arrived to Arus were transporting additional resources to help the Voltron Force".

"And do you have any idea of what resources might those be, Yurak?" asked Zarkon with his husky voice.

"We are almost sure that there were no weapons, just personnel".

"Almost sure…? Is there any accuracy to your updated information, Yurak?" the king sounded mortified.

"My spies just want to make sure that they give the information complete, Sire."

"Well, what are you all waiting for…you inept turds?" King Zarkon replied with loathe in his voice.

"My next report will have the information complete and confirmed, Sire".

"See that you do, commander. You know that I don't like failure. And you are in probation, as of your last mission!"

Yurak shivered at the thought of being executed by the king. He couldn't….wouldn't fail anymore. He would find out what was Arus planning, one way or the other. But the king wasn't over in ordering him around.

"Go with Haggar, Yurak. She has some new prospects that she wants to show you…"

"Yes, Sire." After a deep bow, Yurak left the throne room heading directly to Haggar's lair.

Yurak entered Witch Haggar's lab and found her sitting on front of her crystal ball. Her claws were touching the glassy surface of the orb. She seemed to be in some sort of trance while the ball was dimly glowing. Her pupiless eyes were completely fixated on the glowing crystal ball.

Yurak sneered watching that scene. He never did like Witch Haggar's involvement on forces that he didn't comprehend. So he kept as silent as he could, and started to withdraw from the lab the same way he had previously came in. He planned to come back as soon as Witch Haggar was available to tend to him instead of witnessing her weird witchcraft ceremonies. But just a few steps before reaching the exit, he heard Haggar's voice coming from behind him.

"Commander Yurak!"

Yurak gasped and quickly turned around at the sound of Haggar's voice. He started to shiver when he noticed that the witch was just a few steps from where he stood. He could only assume that Witch Haggar used her teleportation powers to get close to him. He tried to speak but no words would come out of his mouth. Just the sound of his breathing and the loud beatings of his heart were pounding in his ears.

"You're not thinking about leaving so soon…are you, Commander?" Haggar's face remained vacuous while she spoke.

Yurak's head started quivering to the sides in short and fast motions. That witch could certainly put a number on him.

"Good. Follow me Commander. There's something you need to know…" Haggar's dark contour silently moved back to the table where the crystal ball still glowed but in less intensity. Slowly Haggar made herself comfortable on the seat she was previously seated and with her claw she gestured Yurak to seat on the other chair that was available in front of the small table.

Reluctantly, Yurak sat there without taking his eyes off any of the witch's movements. But she seemed calm…too chilly calm for his liking. Her face kept dull all the time, only giving her full attention to the glowing orb in front of her. Yurak just wanted to run from that eerie situation. He wondered why weren't they just watching some new prospects for robeasts instead of wasting precious time in front of that hocus pocus shit he loathed so much.

Witch Haggar's voice interrupted his musings. He couldn't decipher what she was saying. Her murmurs got a little bit louder, but they were still indecipherable. Her claws motioned surrounding the crystal ball and somehow Yurak could distinguish some movements inside the globe. He narrowed a bit his eye and tried to clean up a bit the spectacle that covered the other one. It was no mistake…something WAS moving inside the globe.

Witch Haggar could only hear numerous whispers surrounding her but she kept her mind blank in a mind bogging trance. Then her undecipherable words became completely translated into perfect drule.

"The time has come…the past comes back to Doom…a great danger has arrived….the kingdom will tremble…choices will be made…"

Haggar's ramblings made Yurak confused and mad; he didn't understand what she was saying…he didn't believe in all that crap and he simply didn't care. He was about to stand up from his chair and get the hell out of there. But when he put his hand on the table suddenly Haggar's claw fell on his hand. He gasped while she said:

"Yurak, beware of the white haired drule's fury…" Yurak immediately jerked away his hand from under Haggar's claw. If her words were meant to scare him…she was mistaken, he was just freaked out with her behavior. He wouldn't believe on that mumbo jumbo crap she called witchcraft. The old witch was nuts…her words would be lapsed, at least from his mind. What did she mean by a "white haired drule's fury" anyway? That made no sense at all!

Suddenly, the witch started to contort her body while she was seated on her chair. That was Yurak's cue to get the hell out of there as soon as he could. He immediately rose from where he was seated and rushed out to the exit. He didn't even look back and kept running as fast as he could.

* * *

To be continued


End file.
